Santa Cruz County History - Executive Order 9066 and the Residents of Santa Cruz County

Riptide. June 26, 1942. p. 2

A DISSERVICE TO OUR NATION[Editorial]

Further evidencing the need for national martial law, which Riptide consistently has advocated, is the action of the Civil Liberties Union which is endeavoring to nullify the evacuation of Japanese who are American citizens.

The organization contends it is unconstitutional to evacuate citizens of the nation without "due process of law, " and is making a test case of the issue through the person of a young Japanese citizen who evaded the evacuation order hiding in a basement only to be caught some time later.

True though it may be that the Civil Liberties Union might have a case under normal conditions, it is to be remembered that we are not living in normal times.

All of us have been, and will be again many times before this war is ended, deprived of certain of our liberties and comforts of life without "due process of law." And we are not squawking about it. THIS IS WAR.

If President Roosevelt would declare MARTIAL LAW such cases which hamper our war effort could not arise. Under martial law all civil rights are abrogated.

The Civil Liberties Union is performing a disservice to our country in this attempt to nullify the evacuation of citizen Japanese, to say nothing of menacing the lives of our people and the safety of our nation.

It is better that a thousand loyal Japanese be interned than permit one traitor to go free and bring death to our boys.